Tiger a ‘little bit’ off in Round 1
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/08/2013 (4732 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Oak Hill was there for the taking. Tiger Woods gave away too many chances.
Woods had everything he needed to start the final major championship of the year on a good note. The conditions were soft, still and ideal for scoring. He was one shot out of the lead Thursday morning in the PGA Championship when he made the turn, and there was nothing to suggest he would stray too far away.
Instead, he staggered off the course with double bogey on his last hole for a 1-over 71. That’s not bad on a course where there typically is a premium on par. It just looked ordinary compared with the 28 rounds at par or better from other early starters in the opening round.
A wasted opportunity?
“A little bit,” Woods said.
That was a phrase he mentioned three times when going over a round that featured four tough putts for par, but a round that should have been in red numbers.
Oddly enough, it was his best stretch of golf that stalled his round.
After making the turn at 2 under with a simple bunker save on the 18th hole — Woods had 11 putts on the back nine — he hit his approach 12 feet below the cup on No. 1. His shot into the par-4 second hole caught the side of a hill and settled 4 feet away as the largest crowd at Oak Hill roared. Woods drilled his tee shot on the 214-yard third hole to 10 feet left of the hole.
He missed every putt, and he missed them badly. The worst of them was at No. 2, when Woods said he should have taken more time except that his group was on the clock. It was a side hill putt, difficult even from 4 feet on the greens at Oak Hill. Woods was so tentative that the ball fell sharply to the right and never even touched the cup.
A momentum killer?
“A little bit,” Woods said.
The real killer was the par-5 fourth hole, the only time Woods removed that Tiger head cover off his driver. After several rehearsals with his swing, the ball sailed well to the right, Woods simply picked up his tee. There was no emotion. It was as if he expected to miss the fairway. He hit a poor second shot and went on to make bogey. Then finished with the dreaded double.
The good news? It was his lowest score in five rounds at Oak Hill. And it was only Thursday.
“I’m still right there,” he said. “And we’ve got a long way to go.”
— The Associated Press
